


No Matter What

by PurpleCBean



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23483866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleCBean/pseuds/PurpleCBean
Summary: Set a bit after "I Am My Monster", Steven recieves the visit of the most hyperactive gem of the bunch. Maybe a chat won't hurt.
Relationships: Spinel & Steven Universe
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	No Matter What

“Not in the kitchen, not in the bedroom... Possible I left it in the garden?”

Having everything planned out, discovered Steven, didn't mean much when the first step was already causing problems. Getting everything in order, such a simple task, and yet here we are, searching for his old bag throughout the whole house.

Steven thought all this while opening the door to the garden, until a flash of light snappend me into reality, and a pink flash tackled him to the ground.

“Steven!” The pink flash scream entusiastically “Oh, too much time!”

“Spinel.” The poor boy exhaled, still entwined in her limbs“What have we said about proper greeting?”

“'Give a warning before launching myself in their general direction'” She recited, while picking up the boy, placing him on his feet and dusting his jacket. “So, what are you up to these days?”

“Nothing much” Steven already moved inside the garden, looking intently being th plants and tools.

“I was just looking for my Cheeseburger Backpack-”

“Oh, cool, what does it look like?” Spinel chimed from outside.

“Like... a cheeseburger?” Steven replied, taken a bit back for having to describe how cheeseburger look like “It is big, round, light brown on the outside, with a lot of other layers, of different colours-”

“Found it!” Steven bolted out of the garden “Where is it?”

Spinel pointed at one running figure in the beach, hoding his backpack over his head. As if he knew he was being watched, the figure stopped on his track and turned around to meet the gaze of the two puzzled friends, before resuming his run.

“Should we follow him?” Spinel asked.

“No, it's okay, really.” Steven assured her. He felt like it was right, in some weird way.

He then turned to Spinel. “So, wanna come in?”

“You basically go to see another 'you'?” Spinel asked flatly, while picking another cookie from the plate.

Steven had prepared some for the two of them and served some biscuits to his guest. For being a gem, and not even that accostumed to Earth culture, she seemed to have fully grasped the whole eating and drinking routine.

“It's a bit more complicated than that. They have someone who has studied and practiced in order to help others best.” He explained to the gem, pouring to her and himself some more tea. While he usually preferred coffee, he wouldn't DARE giving the overly excitable gem something stronger than very watery tea and lemon. “I was never prepared to deal with the whole universe, so now I need to unpack and reorganize all those years worth of... ”a small pause ” ...emotions.”

Spinel stopped midway from getting a sip of her tea and lowered the cup on her lap.

“Hey, come on.” She reassured softly “It is something you need. I'm glad you're getting some help.” She patted his shoulder a bit too convincing.

“This fleshy body was not made to sustain the weight of the world.” She joked, before the air got sucked out of the room. She realized she touched a big nerve. “Oh, gosh, Steven. I'm- I didn't-”

“It's okay, it's okay, Spinel” He said, his tone more stiff now, as if her word had actually hurt him. The gem retreated a bit, sinking in her chair, regretting what she said.

For a while they stood there, the heavy silence smothering them. Both of them fixating on the table dividing the two of them, on the steam from the cups flowing in the air.

“Why have you come here, Spinel?” Steven asked at the end. It was apparent this wasn't just a casual meeting, that Spinel wanted to tell him something, but a cog in her plan got stuck and now she couldn't muster the courage to bring her plan to completion.

He watched her readjusting herself on the chair, seemingly going back and forth in her mind trying to find the right words to start with. After some false start, she looked at him with a small, sincere smile:

“I wanted you to know that... I understand, Steven.” Spinel finally let out, her voice reassuring even if a bit trembling. Her eyes then started drifting down, focusing on the warm cup in her hands.

“Back on Homeworld, when you asked me if I had any vengeful thoughts since... my first time here... I lied to you.” She confessed, her hand reached her gem, the upside down heart on her chest “That pain, that fear, that anger... they are still here. Most days, they let me enjoy the time I'm spending with those three goofs.” She chuckled, before exhaling “But there are still some days where they don't let me go... They choke me, wnting to get out, to explode, tearing the whole universe apart...”

Steven couldn't do anything but listen to her, the words piercing his mind as he knew those feeling way too well. That weight building inside of him, like a burning lead ball planted in his core. Thanks to the work he made in those past months, those days were becoming rarer, but there were always those days when he had to carry that thoughts inside of him. Spinel turned to face the boy, her gaze suddenly resolved, she made up her mind – she will mend her mistake.

“I know what it means to feel like a monster, Steven. Feeling like you are unfit to be around your close ones if you don't put a mask on, pretending that everything is fine.” She said to him “And I know how incredibly lonely it feels. So I'm here to tell you, I'll always be there for you. Whenever you fell those horrible feelings, I'll be by your side” Her words start accelerating out of her mouth, picking up momentum “You can come to Homeworld, or maybe better I can come here, the Diamonds can be a bit too much-”

“Spinel” Steven stopped the gem “I'll leave Beach City soon.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, blinking her eyes. The entire picture she had made in her mind just poofed in smoke.

“I'll be traveling the States, taking some time to reflect, to decide what direction to take in the future, things like that.” He smiled “You are one of the first people I've revealed it”.

It took a few moments for Spinel to process and reboot, then she quickly plastered a goofy smile. “Ah I understand you soooo much, cannot stay stuck in the same place forever, especially after what has happen” She exclaimed loudly.

“But for your proposal...” Steven started.

“Geez, don't worry about it. It was just an idea I wanted to share with ya, don't feel obligated to stay here for me.” 'Please don't falter now' She begged herself 'Find the nearest exit and run a-'Her thoughts were again stopped on their tracks.

The warmth of Steven's body calmed her as he hugged her thighly.

“I know it feels bad, really bad.” He said softly, as reassuring as possible “And I know how it took to reveal all of this to me.” he let it go a bit, getting a better look of her now misty eyes. “But I cannot let you make the same mistake I've made. I cannot let you take the burden of my battle when I know you are struggling too.”

She understood. That was the best for him. And probably for her too.

“Soooooo, what if we help eachother?” he smiled “You'll be there for me, I'll be there for you. Like a secret, supporting club.”

The pink gem was taken aback by those last words, then pulled the human in a even tighter hug. She thanked Steven couldn't see her from that angle beacuse she was wearing the dumbest smile imaginable.

“That's a recipe for disaster, Universe” She said, not knowing if she was sarcastic or not, she felt like it didn't matter. She felt so light, so happy, for both of them. “But what about your plans?”

Steven blinked a tear away “I have an idea. Come with me.”

He gently pulled himself out of Spinel's grip and guided her to his room. The gem noted some boxes lying on the floor, filled with colorful things she imagined were of high value for Steven. He opened one of them and sighted in relief.

“well, at least those aren't gone.” He stated, rising up with two prims-like objects on his hands. The young Universe then pressed one of their facet against eachother, and the two lit up as one.

“Here, now they are paired. I'm sure you know how to use it.” Steven said while handing over one of the two communicators to the gem.

She grabbed it, and replied smugly “Oh, please, love. I didn't come out of the ground yesterday: Press here to call, here to end call, here to detonate the other one” She explaining while wearing a know-it-all smile “I promise not to press it too early.”

“Oh, I really hope so, because White only sent me fourteen of those, so use it with caution.”

“...Fourteen?”

“Just to be extra safe, she said.”

“That is so White!” She laughed “Once we played hide and seek, and after I remained hidden for ten minutes, she went on a craze. Ended up broadcasting a distress message across the whole galaxy.”

“Wow, she really cares a lot!” He noted.

“All of them care.” She smiled “It is so weird to think those three lovable dorks once were intergalactic tyrants.”

“Well, I almost destroyed beach city.” Steven quickly replied. “And my middle name is Cutie Pie,”

“I almost destroyed this whole planet.” Spinel retorted “ And if you squeeze me, I quacks.”

“I end up crying even in my rampage form.”

“I wrote down evil songs before striking my invasion.”

The two looked sternly at eachother for a second, before bursting into an heartful laughter. They laughed and laughed, slipping on the floor as they couldn't contain those laughs.

“W-We are not... the most intimidating baddies!” Steven exclaimed, catching is breath.

“Not really, Universe!” Spinel agreed, wiping a tear with her fingers.

They stayed like this floor, slumped on the floor of the bedroom, talking, laughing, the hours slipping away peacefully.

Until one fateful doubt seeped its way in.

“Do you think we will be okay, in the end?” Steven muttered.

Spinel did not even raised her head. She kept watching the ceiling, giving time to the question to hung there, in the air.

“We will be there together, no matter what.” She spoke at the end. A promise sealed.

“Now stop being so somber or I'll blast you into outer space.” She raised the communicator, her thumb hovering over the self distruct button.

Steven chuckled “You are like one foot away from me.”

“Like I said, we are on this together.” Spinel remarked.

“Hey, Spinel?”

“Yes, Steven?”

“Thank you, I really needed this.”

“I needed this too.”

“...Wanna blow some communicators before going back to Homeworld?”

“Oh, Steven, I thought you would never ask.”

And then they blew ten communicators on the beach.

**Author's Note:**

> So, the use of Spinel in Future was BAAAAAAAAAD. Tried to fix it a bit here, giving a bit more of the character I expected her to show during the ark. Probably I've overcompensated a tad.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for getting this far. Goodbye.


End file.
